26 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



up of cartilaginous matter. These he called cartilaginous fishes, 

 such as the Lamprej's or lamper eel — some of the sharks, &c. His 

 next sub-divisions were based upon the structure of the gill appar- 

 atus and the Linnean plan based on the position of the fins. These 

 again divided into families or groups dependent upon the formation 

 of mouth or other appendages. A tabular view of his first formed 

 system would read thus : 



' Fixed branchiae or gills ( Round mouth at end of nose. 



Cartilaginous 

 fishes. 



Osseous fishes. - 



chondropterygii. 



Free branchiiie with bran- 

 chiostegi or gill covers. 



Apodes . . . 

 Jugulares . 



Thoracici . . 

 Abdominales 



\ Transverse mouth under snout. 



do. do. do. teeth. 



do. do. do. no teeth. 



Mouth at end of nose ; no teeth. 



do. do. teeth. 



Bones of jaw answering for teeth. 

 Mouth very wide ; number small teeth. 



Mouth at end of nose. 



Mouth under the nose. 



Head unarmed. 



Head armed. 



'' Dorsal fin partly spinous ; head armed. 



J I 1 1 J J ( Two dorsals, 



do. do. do. head unarmed, j r) „ j^. 



Bones of the jaws naked ; used as teeth. 

 Two eyes on the same side. 

 Body very long. 

 A furrowed disc on the head. 

 No operculum to the branchiae (gills.) 

 No teeth. 



Sharp teeth ; no cirri or beard. 

 ] Head depressed ; cirri. 

 Spines free on the back. 

 Mouth at the end of the nose. 



It will be seen on careful comparison that the two first divisions 

 are those of Belon ; the secondary characters are derived from 

 Artedi and Linneus ; the third are groupings of his own, which he 

 has since improved upon, establishing several natural families 

 which have been used by subseque»t writers on Ichthyology. He 

 subsequently, with Valenciennes, published a work on the " Nat- 

 ural History of Fishes," in 13 volumes. I have given his improved 

 system on 33d page. 



Lacepede's System. 

 A few years afterwards (1803) Lacepede published his celebrated 

 work, " The Natural History of Fishes," in five volumes. From 

 the accumulations of facts in the several authors that had preceded 

 him, and the fact of his having access to the best museums or cab- 

 inets of natural history in Europe, he was enabled to make a very 

 valuable work, and one which for many years was considered as 

 standard authority. The following is a tabular statement of the 



